A Traitor Tells All
by FromTheCouncilOfTimeWizards
Summary: Arthur finally becomes suspicious of his uncle. One night, he sneaks out and overhears a conversation between Agravaine and Morgana. And they're talking about...Merlin? Spoilers for S4
1. Chapter 1

**AN:Merlin is not mine, so get over it. **

**I've seen many stories where Arthur overhears a conversation between Merlin and Morgana or Merlin and Agravaine, and I liked those, so I was going to try one when I thought, why not have a story where Arthur overhears a conversation between Agravaine and Morgana ****_about _****Merlin? So, here's my try at it. **

**I'm not sure if I'm going to do another chapter to this. Tell me if you think I should in a review, that would be awesome. **

**Also, I have a poll going, which you can find on my profile, as to which Merlin story you think I should write next, and I would really appreciate you voting!**

Arthur stood stock-still. The last time he had seen the figure now standing in the clearing, she had tried to kill him - again. He couldn't see her face, but he remembered it clearly. The eyes, once warm, if fierce, were now cold and spiteful, and the face no longer looked capable of a smile that wasn't cruel or mocking.

Morgana seemed to be waiting for someone, which only confirmed Arthur's suspicions. He wouldn't be sitting here, squashed behind a tree and a boulder so that he could spy on his half-sister, if he hadn't thought she had an ally in Camelot.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves could be heard coming nearer. A dark horse galloped into the clearing where Morgana stood, and riding that horse was...

Arthur's heart sank. So, Merlin had been right after all. Again. His uncle was conspiring with Morgana. He'd hoped Merlin had been wrong, but deep down, he knew his strangely knowledgeable servant was probably right. Still, he'd held onto a selfish hope that it was just an insignificant servant or noble, perhaps, who was the traitor, as opposed to someone close to him. But the sight that met his eyes told him his hopes were dashed.

"My Lady," Agravaine murmured, slipping off his horse.

"Agravaine." The former ward to the king's voice held no warmth, even for her spy.

"Morgana, you were right," his uncle informed her.

Arthur leaned forward. Right about what?

"About what?"

"Merlin, my Lady."

Arthur's insides seemed to freeze. What did Merlin have to do with this?

"Ah, yes. I assume you have seen for yourself what I have been telling you?"

"Yes, my Lady. I must admit, at first I wondered how a simple servant could be such a problem. Now I see how meddlesome he is. He has never straight-up confronted me, but I see him watching me everyday. It's only a good thing Arthur doesn't believe him about me."

Arthur closed his eyes. So that was how Merlin knew. He'd seen what Arthur had refused to see, that his uncle was a traitor, and decided to do something about it. His insides twisted with fear. Merlin could easily have gotten killed! Especially if Arthur had continued to be blind to his uncle's true nature. He should have known, after Morgana, that even the people closest to him could turn on him, and ignoring it didn't help anything.

"Be glad Arthur is such a fool," Morgana sneered. "It makes everything so much easier. But just to make sure there is no chance of persuading him, simple threatening will probably do. I have been down this road with Merlin before. Just remind him that your position would easily allow you to have him killed, and no one will probably believe him anyway. Why do you think he never told anyone about me?"

Arthur's head was spinning from the impact of this slap in the face from reality. This, on top of everything else? Merlin had known about Morgana, and he knew about Agravaine. Why was he doing Arthur's job better than him? Among his incredulity and regret, he felt anger bubbling up. Morgana had threatened Merlin's life for who knew how long.

And yet, he hadn't backed down...

"The threats will not be enough to stop him meddling, I know that from experience," Morgana continued. "But you must not underestimate him. He will stop at nothing to prevent you from killing Arthur, and he refused to die himself. I have seen him worm his way out of many situations that ought to have killed him."

The anger was growing, a new feeling was manifesting in Arthur: Guilt. Merlin had almost _died_ at Morgana's hand? To stop her from killing him?

What the hell had he done to deserve such loyalty from his servant?

"If you are to kill him, you must catch him unawares. This will be difficult, as he is merely a servant and no one cares where he goes or when. You must also be certain that what you do will kill him. I'm not saying you shouldn't make him suffer," Morgana said, smirking at the thought, and Arthur's anger and fear for his manservant rose.

"-but make sure there is no way he can survive. Having Merlin out of the way will make it much easier to kill Arthur."

Agravaine nodded and bowed. He mounted his horse, and within seconds, he was out of sight. Morgana watched him go, then turned and began walking in another direction.

It didn't even occur to the king to follow her. Right now, his priority was to return to Camelot. First he'd arrest his traitorous uncle.

Then he'd thank Merlin, and tell him how sorry he was that his servant- no, his _friend_ - had suffered on his behalf.

**So, what do you think? Should it have a chapter 2?**

**Don't forget to vote on my poll! **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Merlin belongs to those people at the BBC who like to make us cry.**

**Oh my goodness. **

**You guys are awesome! Thank you all for the reviews/favorites/follows! I can't not write another chapter after that! Also, I think some of you might have voted on my poll. If you did, thanks a bunch more!  
**

**To address some of your reviews: **

** ShiverMeFunzies: Ooh, you're right! Haha I missed that, sorry 'bout that! **

** GryffindorSpark: Yes, I am planning on that happening ;) but Merlinisamazing, I don't think he'll die, sorry :(  
**

**Oh, and I'd like to apologize in advance- this chapter is REALLY short. But there will be more! **

Arthur, having hunted in these forests on countless occasions, had no trouble getting back in the dark. Soon, the trees started to thin, and the lights of the citadel peeked through the branches. He was trudging through them, mulling over what he had just witnessed, when he saw a slight figure ahead of him.

Drawing his sword, he stood silently behind a tree, watching. In doing so, he inadvertently stepped on a twig, which snapped beneath his foot.

The figure in front of him spun around, allowing Arthur to see his face. The king nearly gasped.

It was Merlin.

Of course.

No wonder he'd found out about Agravaine before Arthur, if he'd done this before! How often did Merlin sneak out to spy on the enemies of Camelot, and then foil their plans?

This feeling of not knowing Merlin was foreign to Arthur, and he didn't like it. He'd always assumed there were some things Merlin didn't tell him, but nothing like this.

Arthur stepped out from his hiding spot.

"Having a midnight stroll, are we?"

He got a bit of satisfaction at seeing Merlin jump.

"Arthur! What are you doing here?"

"Maybe I actually listened to you. Thought you'd be pleased."

Merlin frowned slightly, Arthur's tone was slightly harsher than he meant for it to come out. He felt angry, at Morgana, at Agravaine, a little at Merlin for endangering himself like this and a whole lot at himself for allowing this to happen.

Arms folded across his chest, Arthur opened his mouth, ready to demand answers. But suddenly, he took in Merlin's appearance, and he stopped.

Merlin was paler than usual. His eyes had bags under them, and he looked utterly exhausted.

_What has he been_ doing?

Though Arthur would have liked nothing better right now than to drag Merlin up to his chambers and bombard him with questions, he wasn't going to force him to in this state. Having Merlin fully awake would probably wield better results, anyway.

He put his finger closes to Merlin's face.

"I am going to go to my chambers. You are going to go to yours. I want you in my chambers first thing in the morning, and you will answer my questions."

And with that, he stormed off towards the castle.

0o0

Agravaine sat on his bed, staring at nothing in particular. He had to find a way to get rid of Merlin soon, because Morgana didn't have much patience with him. But how? He was with Arthur practically at all times, except -

Except when he was doing chores.

Agravaine smiled, stood up, and picked up a scroll of parchment from his desk. He knew how to get Merlin on his own. Now he just had to figure out how to make it look like an accident.

Smiling at the thought of Morgana's face when he told he'd killed the pesky servant, he began to write.

He would burn the parchment when he was done, of course. A pagefull of ideas of how to kill the servant to the king would probably cause suspicion.

**I know, I know - Really short. But I will write another chapter, at least!**

**Oh and if you haven't already, I would love it if you went to my profile and voted on my poll!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: No, I have not magically become the owner of Merlin since I last posted. **

**Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for: Arthur confronts Merlin! I hope I did it justice. Anyway, for those of you who want some Merlin whump, that will most likely happen in the next chapter. **

**Also, to saurora92, you're right, I realized right after I posted the first chapter that arresting Agravaine wouldn't be good for the plot, so I had Arthur change his mind about that. Thanks for the review!**

Merlin woke to Gaius telling him to get up, as always. But he was so exhausted, and his bed was so comfy. He told himself he'd rest for just a few more minutes and rolled over.

Then the memory of the previous night surfaced and he sat bolt upright in bed. Practically leaping up, he grabbed his clothes and sloppily forced them on. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation with Arthur, but he figured it would be a better one if Arthur was not grumpy at him for being late.

Gaius raised an eyebrow as Merlin rushed out of his room and began wolfing down his breakfast.

"Slow down, Merlin. What's your hurry?"

"I'll explain later, right now I need to see Arthur."

The king was awake and waiting for his servant when Merlin entered his chambers, looking nervous.

"Sit down, Merlin," Arthur said in a pleasant voice that masked his mood.

Merlin sat.

"I assume you overheard the same conversation I did last night?"

Merlin thought about making a cheeky reply but decided against it after seeing Arthur's face.

"Yes."

Arthur simply stared at him, making Merlin uncomfortable.

"What?" he blurted when Arthur showed no sign of speaking up.

"What? _What_? I'm waiting for an explanation, Merlin, is _what_!" Arthur spat. "Is it true what Agravaine said? What Morgana said?"

"Which bit?"

Arthur glared.

"All of it! Any of it!"

Merlin sighed, and he looked weary, a sight unfamiliar to Arthur.

"Yes, all of it is true."

Arthur's hands were clenched painfully on the edges of his desk. He hadn't thought that Morgana was lying, but hearing Merlin's confession made it worse. It was confirmation that Merlin had suffered while trying to protect him. It was a strange concept, Merlin protecting him. It was supposed to be the other way around.

"And...you never felt the need to tell me any of this?"

Merlin winced. "It never came up," he said in a feeble attempt at a casual tone.

Arthur closed his eyes. "Just...how many times, exactly, have you almost died...because of me?" He forced the words out, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Merlin shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't exactly keep a tally."

There was silence for a moment as Arthur thought about what to say next, but before he could say something, Merlin spoke.

"What are you going to do with Agravaine?"

Arthur really didn't want to think about his uncle right now. The night before, his first instinct was to throw the traitor in the dungeons and let him rot there for speaking so callously about murdering Merlin. But after thinking it over, he'd decided that wasn't the best course of action.

"I'm not going to do anything yet. Having him not knowing that we know can work in our favor - we can feed him false information if necessary."

Merlin nodded. "The longer he stays oblivious, the better."

Arthur flinched at the word 'oblivious', seeing as how, up until last night, that word had described him - at least where Merlin was concerned. But he pushed it aside, he needed to make something clear to his servant.

"You will not be getting involved with this anymore, Merlin. This is between me and Agravaine."

Merlin scoffed. "Yeah, I bet he'll just leave me in peace now. Listen, Morgana holds a grudge, and she won't believe Agravaine if he tells her I mysteriously start turning a blind eye. She wants to kill me, and nothing will change that."

Arthur had felt like he'd been growing colder with each word, and when Merlin proclaimed that a sorceress was targeting him without batting an eye, his insides seemed to have frozen over. He'd always called Merlin a coward, but secretly thought that Merlin was as brave as any knight. But sometimes, he wished his servant would throw away his bravery for once and save his own skin.

"Besides," Merlin continued, shaking Arthur out of his thoughts, "Agravaine already knows I'm onto him. He might get suspicious if anyone else starts following him."

Arthur didn't like it, but he knew Merlin was right.

"All right," he relented, "but I'll be keeping a close eye on both of you," he said firmly. "And I want you tell me if he tries anything. No more keeping things from me alright, Merlin?"

"Right," Merlin agreed hurriedly.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A messenger entered.

"Sire, your presence is required at a council meeting," the messenger said in a toneless voice.

Arthur sighed. "Very well. Tell them I will be there shortly."

He turned back to Merlin.

"When I get back, I expect a detailed report of everything you have neglected to tell me," he said, though not angrily.

Merlin nodded, still looking warily at him.

"I'm not angry with you, Merlin," Arthur said softly. _I'm angry with myself._

He started to leave his chambers, but turned before exiting. Merlin was still sitting in the same spot, apparently not having moved.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arthur said briskly, wanting to break some of the tense atmosphere. "This place is a mess! It had better be clean by the time I get back!"

And with that, he left his chambers, mentally gearing up for the battle to stay awake that was surely to come at the council meeting.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Why no, Merlin does not belong to me, thank you for asking. **

***Squeals* I can't believe the response I got from this with only three chapters! You guys are the best! **

**This is the fourth chapter in two days. What does that say about my life?**

**I also should say if you like this story, I encourage you to check out _Overheard _by hujwernoo. It's kinda sorta similar to this one. You guys might like it. **

**Also, if you haven't already, I have a poll going on my profile as to which Merlin story I should write next and I would love it if you guys voted. **

**Okay, I'm done. Here's the story.**

_Finally._

The tedious meeting had come to an end. True, Arthur hadn't been paying attention for most of it, but having to sit still while he listened to nobles whine about taxes wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

The meeting was adjourned, and the nobles and knights stood to leave. Arthur turned in a hurry for the door, but found himself face to face with Agravaine.

"Whoops!"

Agravaine's hand slipped on his goblet in reaction to Arthur's sudden appearance. Red wine spilled over Arthur's chain mail, and he felt it soak through his tunic underneath.

"I am so sorry, Sire, I merely wanted to speak to you. I have a few ideas about the land dispute-"

Arthur interrupted his uncle. "That's quite alright, Lord Agravaine. I'm afraid I have business to attend to at the moment, but I will find you later to discuss your ideas."

And he walked away before he was too tempted to plant his fist into his uncle's face.

When he reached his chambers, Merlin was finishing scrubbing the floor. He looked up apprehensively as the king entered.

Arthur removed his chain mail and tunic and threw it lazily on the floor at Merlin's feet.

"Those need washing," was all he said.

Looking surprised, Merlin gathered up the clothes and left for the washroom.

Sighing, Arthur sat down at his desk, where a pile of paperwork was waiting for him. He wanted to talk to Merlin some more about the night before, but he needed some time to think to himself first.

He would have to apologize. He knew he'd come across as angry at Merlin, but that was just because he was overwhelmed with the rapidity at which his world had shifted.

And, honestly, how could he be angry with Merlin? Merlin had tried to tell him something was off about his uncle, but he hadn't listened. Merlin was one of the few people he could trust, and no matter how much he denied it, he cared very much for the servant. He'd come to think of him almost as a brother. Arthur snorted. He'd made a better sibling than Morgana, anyway. Morgana, who would have killed Merlin if Arthur hadn't seen sense.

And once again, the blame would have fallen on the king.

His thoughts shifted to what Merlin had actually been doing. It made sense - how many times had he mysteriously vanished from his job and reappeared looking exhausted? Arthur had attributed it to being hungover, but now he saw that it was unlikely that Merlin actually spent that much time in the tavern. With a fresh wave of guilt, Arthur realized that he had punished Merlin several times for being in the "tavern", when he was probably off saving Arthur's life.

Sighing, he stood up. He had to find Merlin and apologize to him.

0o0

Merlin entered the washroom, his arms laden with the clothes Agravaine had spilled wine on. No one else was there, and he sighed. There would be no one to distract him from his anxious thoughts about Arthur. True, he was glad Arthur wasn't more upset, but how would he explain all the times he'd survived because of magic?

Just then, he heard the door snap shut behind him. He turned and saw...

His blood ran cold. Agravaine had just closed and locked the door, and was smiling in a way that made Merlin very worried.

He kept his face blank. "Lord Agravaine. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Agravaine's nasty grin widened. "Oh, I think there is."

And without warning, his fist swung out of no where and connected with Merlin's jaw.

Pain exploded from the spot where it had made contact, and the warlock staggered backward. Hands came out and shoved him hard in the chest and he crashed to the floor. He felt his head collide with the stone ground, sending more ripples of pain through it. He struggled to get up, but a strong set of hands grabbed his head and smashed it against the stone once more, and he slipped into blackness.

Agravaine took advantage of Merlin's unconsciousness. The washroom was stacked with storage boxes filled with everything from heavy bars of soap to armor waiting to be picked up. There were even some stone bricks, which were left there temporarily for some construction.

It took only a prod from the older man to send them crashing down onto the servant. Agravaine was pleased to see a heavy belt fall out of one of the baskets from the top and bounce off the servant's face, leaving red lines oozing blood. The rest of him was soon covered in heavy wooden boxes and woven baskets and their spilled contents.

Agravaine leaned down, pulling a vial out of his pocket. Personally, he thought the poison was slight overkill, but Morgana had said to be absolutely certain. And she'd also expressed her desire for Merlin to suffer, and the poison would certainly cause that. Uncorking the bottle, he poured some of the thick liquid into Merlin's mouth.

He then stood back to admire his handiwork, pleased with himself. Merlin was known for being uncoordinated, and it would certainly be reasonable for someone to assume that Merlin had accidentally knocked everything over on himself. The head trauma could be caused by the combination of his fall and being hit with a heavy object. He smiled. That would be a very probable cause of death, and no one would think to check for poison. He turned to leave, then paused. He turned around and used to foot to clear away some of the rubble. Then he swung his foot back and kicked the servant as hard as he could and thought he heard a rib crack.

"That's for what you did to Morgana," he whispered, and, without another word, exited the room.

0o0

Merlin finally came to something that could be considered consciousness a while later. He called it consciousness because he was aware of the burning pain that was filling him. It was separate from the pounding in his head - though that was agony enough to turn his stomach. His vision was hazy, and he couldn't remember where he was. The most he was aware of, besides the pain, was that there seemed to be a pool of blood around his head.

He registered dimly, though, that Agravaine must have gotten to him. This was no accident. The aching he felt all over could have been caused by another of his clumsy accidents, but the fire that was spreading through him was not. He was sure that much was poison.

He tried to call out, but even the slightest movement amplified his agony. His breathing tightened in pain. He was stuck here, suspended in misery, and he couldn't even find help.

Suddenly, the poison prompted a coughing fit. The jarring movement lit him on fire all over again, and he became so dizzy he could hardly tell up from down. The coughing began to subside, but the pain did not. Instead, it peaked even more.

As it reached such a pitch that he felt his world dimming into darkness once again, he vaguely thought he heard someone shouting his name. But before he could figure out who it was, he fell back into wonderful oblivion.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Strangely enough, Merlin does not belong to me. Shocker, right?**

**Yay! Chapter 5 is done. I'm actually enjoying this story. I'm glad you guys convinced me to keep writing it! **

**Vote on my poll pweese? *puppy eyes***

**Enjoy the chapter!**

Arthur was walking down one of the many corridors in his castle. He hoped Merlin had gone to wash his clothes as he'd asked. It would make it much easier to find his servant. He suddenly realized he had been so caught up in his own thoughts he'd forgot there was someone trying to kill Merlin. Mentally kicking himself, he sped up. He should have had someone guard the idiot.

The door to the washroom was already ajar when he got there. Pushing it open, he was surprised to see a mess covering the floor. Someone had clearly knocked over everything that had been stacked there.

His eyes swept the room, but he found no sign of anyone. Frustrated, he started to leave when something caught his eyes.

A pool of red was leaking out from behind one of the wooden boxes.

His eyes widened, and he looked closer. In between the fallen objects, he saw a familiar red shirt...

Heart hammering, he leaped towards the pile and started grabbing things and throwing them unceremoniously behind him. Slowly, the rubble cleared away, and the battered form of his manservant became more visible.

He did not look good. He was even paler than usual, and blood dribbled from multiple cuts on his cheek. But the main source of the blood was a lump on the back of his head. In his arms were Arthur's stained clothes. Fury rendered the king paralyzed for a moment as he realized his snake of an uncle had probably spilled the wine on purpose.

Merlin may be clumsy, but he was not this clumsy. This was an attempt at murder.

Frantically, Arthur searched the body for a pulse. He nearly wilted in relief when he found one, but tensed again as he realized how feeble it was. Merlin needed help, and quickly. Arthur didn't have time to call for the guards. He scooped up his servant as quickly as he could without hurting him further and hurried off towards Gaius' chambers.

0o0

Gaius' day had been going fairly well. He helped out one of the richer families in town who had had a bout of illness, and they rewarded him generously. Merlin had not yet informed him that there would be reason to suspect Arthur might need to visit him soon because another crazed sorcerer was going to make an attempt at his life. And to top it off, his back wasn't bothering him as much as usual.

So, Gaius had been having a good day. That was, until a certain panicky king of Camelot had burst into his chambers carring the limp form of his ward.

"What happened?" he demanded as Arthur put Merlin down onto the patient's cot.

"I found him in the washroom. All the storage had fallen on him."

Arthur paced, distraught, as the physician examined the servant.

"Help me take his shirt off."

Hands shaking slightly, Arthur took a fistful of Merlin's shirt and pulled up, rank and status completely forgotten.

He sucked in a breath. Merlin's torso was covered with bruises, black, blue and purple stretching across the pale skin. Cuts littered his chest as well, though they didn't seem to be deep. The layer of cloth had been concealing the fact that Merlin seemed to be having trouble breathing, and the thin frame shuddered as the lungs searched for air.

Guilt and rage warred in the king's chest. He had a pretty good idea of who did this, and every fiber of him wanted to find said man and punish him. To distract himself, he focused on Gaius' examination.

Finally the old physician stood, looking tired. "He has two cracked ribs and a severe concussion. He probably has some internal bleeding, though I suppose we can be grateful that one of his ribs didn't puncture his lung. Unfortunately, though, it seems he has gotten an infection," he said, indicating one of Merlin's deeper cuts that looked red and inflamed.

Gaius paused. He was also sure Merlin had been poisoned as well. He had noticed one of his poisons had gone missing that morning, but hadn't thought much of it because Agravaine had given up trying to poison Merlin and Arthur a long time ago - at least, poison their food. But there was every possibility Agravaine could have administered the poison after Merlin had been knocked unconscious. From what Arthur had told him, it could have been an accident, but the lump on the back of Merlin's head stuck out to him. From the position of the bruises, it seemed Merlin had been laying on his back when he fell, but then the front of his head would have bared the lump if it had been caused by a falling object. In that case, it had to have been caused by the fall itself, but it was much to severe to be caused by just that. Gaius thought it was more likely Merlin had been shoved or slammed against something first, and then had the boxes fall on him and made to look like an accident.

He said none of this to Arthur, though, because he knew how Arthur viewed his uncle. From what Merlin had said, he'd tried dropping hints, but the king had refused to admit that there was a possibility his uncle had turned on him. Accusing Agravaine would get him no where. So for now, he would have to roll with the punches and, as much as he hated it, go with the story Agravaine was sure to put out that it had been an accident caused by Merlin's clumsiness.

0o0

Arthur listened to Gaius' report with growing guilt and dread. This was all his fault! He'd known Agravaine was after Merlin. But something was nagging at him. Gaius seemed to be holding something back...

And then it hit him. Of course. Merlin was Gaius' ward, and Arthur had seen how close they were. His servant surely would have told Gaius his suspicions about Agravaine. And then told him how Arthur had rebuffed his attempts to tell him the truth. With yet another pang of guilt, Arthur realized that Gaius had probably figured this was no accident, but was afraid to tell the king the truth.

Arthur sighed. "What else, Gaius? Is there any evidence someone did this to him?"

Gaius looked at him in surprise.

"Someone like Agravaine, for example?" Arthur pressed.

Gaius stared at him, clearly shocked. Then he said slowly, "I think he may have been poisoned as well, sire."

The words were like a punch in the gut to Arthur.

"Can you cure him?"

Gaius sighed. "I'm not sure, sire. But I promise you, I will do whatever I can."

Arthur nodded mutely, and glanced down at the figure on the cot.

"I know you will."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I don't own Merlin. Deal. With. It. **

**This is a pathetically short chapter, I know. But I plan to have another one up soon! Thank you all for your amazing feedback!**

Arthur wanted to stay until Merlin woke up, but Gaius shooed him away.

"He won't be awake for a while. He needs his rest. I will have you notified as soon as he wakes up."

Gaius waited until the king's footsteps had stopped echoing down the corridor. Then he turned to his ward.

"Merlin? Are you awake?"

Merlin inhaled sharply and cracked his eyes open.

"Define awake."

It was a similar sensation to before. The pain distracted him from really registering what was going on, and his senses seemed to be dulled. However, he was able to hone in on Gaius' voice.

He started to cough, and Gaius gripped his shoulder to hold him still. He winced, being held still helped his head, but Gaius had grabbed him on one of his bruises.

"I'm sorry, Merlin," Gaius murmured, his heart clenching at Merlin's wince. Merlin replied with a slightly slurry "S'all right, Gaius."

He coughed again and said "Gaius? I think I've been poisoned...again."

Gaius started to nod, then realized Merlin's eyes had fluttered closed again. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I've prepared an antidote, but it may not be strong enough on its own. Can you use your magic to heal you if it's not?" As he said this, he picked up a vial from his desk and guided it into Merlin's hands.

Merlin swallowed. "I can try."

Taking a deep breath, he downed Gaius' potion, grimacing as the concoction washed over his throat. Some of the pain seemed to dull, but other than that Merlin couldn't feel any signs of it relenting.

Magic it was, then.

Screwing up his strength, he summoned his magic and his eyes burned gold.

At once he had to stifle a cry of pain, the effort of using the healing magic had caused his head to feel as though a spike had been driven through it. But it only lasted a few moments. After that, it began to subside, and Merlin's head began to clear enough to register the battle that was going on in his body between his magic and the poison. But he couldn't hold onto it for long, and he soon passed out again.

Gaius felt Merlin's forehead hopefully. The raging fever seemed to have receeded, but he was still horribly pale. Gaius sighed.

_I guess we'll just have to wait. _

0o0

Arthur was beyond furious.

He was vaguely aware of the other knights watching warily as he pounded the practice dummy into ribbons, but he didn't care. Of course, his brain chose that moment to remind him the last time he had done this was when Morgana had hit her head and was dying.

_STOP IT_!

He threw his sword on the ground. This was not helping. If he was honest with himself, nothing would really help except forcing his uncle to replace the practice dummy.

He sighed, rubbing his head in aggravation. The sight of Merlin's bruised body swam in front of his eyes, and he snapped them open.

Dwelling would not help Merlin. Arthur had refrained from arresting Agravaine so they could use him to their advantage. If he arrested Agravaine now, it would have been for nothing that he allowed Merlin to get hurt.

He wanted to get started on a plan of what information they would be feeding Agravaine and when. The thing was, after Agravaine's betrayal, Arthur was having a hard time trusting anyone except Merlin and Gaius. Gwen would have made the list too if she hadn't betrayed him...

_Stop thinking about her_, he told himself sternly.

He decided he would talk to Merlin when he woke up. Just to make sure no one else was betraying him.

0o0

Arthur had just finished a grueling practice with the knights when a page ran up to him.

"The Court Physician wishes to see you, sire," he said with a bow.

Arthur felt the lump of worry in his stomach grow. What if Gaius hadn't been able to cure Merlin? He hastily removed his armor and hurried towards Gaius's chambers. He knocked and heard a quiet "Enter" from inside.

Almost afraid of what he would find behind the door, Arthur pushed it open and found...

...Merlin, sitting upright and looking tired but very much alive and being handed a cup of water from Gaius.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: It is only in my dreams that I own Merlin. ****So I didn't actually plan this out all the way when I wrote chapter one, so this chapter was a "make-it-up-as-you-go" kinda thing, but don't worry, I have a vague plan to go with this chapter. Hope you like it. Check out my poll?  
**

Merlin and Gaius both turned to stare at Arthur. It took the king a moment to realize he had spoken Merlin's name out loud out of relief. At this realization, he flushed and coughed awkwardly, casting around for something to say to cover up his slip-up.

"Still alive, then?"

Merlin's mouth twitched upward. "Last time I checked. "

He still looked weak, and his skin tone hadn't completely normal, but his eyes were no longer glazed over with pain and he no longer flinched at every movement.

"You found a cure?" As soon as he said it, he realized it was a stupid question. Merlin would be dead or dying if Gaius hadn't found a way to cure him.

"Indeed. The poison Agravaine used is one I am familiar with. It is usually deadly, but Merlin survived after my treatment."

"Yes, well, Merlin isn't exactly the usual, is he?" Arthur quipped, trying to ignore the anger in him that spiked at the words 'Agravaine' and 'usually deadly'.

Merlin pretended to be offended. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

He tried to get off his bed, but Gaius pushed him back with a very firm "sit."

"But Gaius-" Merlin tried to protest.

"No. You need rest. You may be healed of the poison, but you still took a beating."

The mood sobered at the reminder of Merlin's attack.

"I presume it was Agravaine who attacked you."

Merlin nodded. "I didn't remember at first, but I got my memory back after Gaius cured me."

"Right," Arthur said crisply, "From now on, Merlin, I want someone to be with you at all time. Perhaps a knight-"

"What?" Merlin cried. "No! Won't that be a bit of a giveaway that you know?"

"Well what else would you have me do, Merlin?" Arthur demanded. "Let you walk by yourself with someone out there who wants to kill you, and I can't do anything about it?" Merlin was so easy to attack, he could barely defend himself against anyone or anything.

"It's worked so far," Merlin retorted.

Arthur gaped. "What do you mean, _it's worked so far_? You almost died today, Merlin!" His voice had gone up a pitch at the last part.

Awkward silence met his words, which Merlin broke.

"Arthur, it's almost like you care."

"Don't get your hopes up," Arthur replied immediately, and then scowled. Merlin was trying to distract him.

"I'm serious, Merlin. I'm sure Gwaine would volunteer for the job. We can tell him we need him to stop you from getting into more 'accidents'."

Merlin flushed. Great. Now the whole castle was going to think he couldn't do anything by himself without getting hurt.

If only they knew.

"I'm surprised Gwaine hasn't come to see you yet," Gaius commented.

Merlin snickered. "Oh, I'm sure he will. Once he gets out of the tavern. He doesn't take days off lightly."

Arthur groaned. "Great. I get too deal with hungover Gwaine." He sighed.

"I have to go attend to my duties. Gaius, let me know how he does."

"'He' is right here, you know," Merlin muttered.

"Oh, and Merlin?" The king paused before opening the door.

"Hmm?"

"Anyone else I know betraying me?"

He forced his voice to sound light, even though it was hard to force the words out.

"No," Merlin said softly. "Not that I know of."

Arthur let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At least that was one weight off his chest.

"Wait," Merlin said sharply. An idea had just occurred to him. And it just might work, to...

0o0

Agravaine knocked on the king's door.

"Enter."

"You called for me, my Lord?" Agravaine said politely.

"Yes, uncle." Arthur turned away from his window, his face an expressionless mask. "I need to inform you that I will be going away for a few days."

The older man inclined his head in acknowledgement. "And...the nature of this journey, my Lord?"

Arthur kept his face carefully blank. "Merlin died this morning." His voice cracked at the end, loosing its monotony.

Agravaine's eyes widened. A few days ago, Arthur would have thought he looked shocked, but now the king saw the expression was really triumph. How could he have missed it?

"I'm sorry to hear that, sire," his uncle responded finally. "May I ask how?"

"He had another of his accidents. The storage from the washroom had fallen on him. He had a broken rib, which punctured his lung." Arthur closed his eyes. "Gaius was unable to save him."

"I am sorry for your loss, sire," Agravaine repeated, "but what does that have to do with your trip?"

Arthur sighed. "I wish to return his body to Ealdor, to his mother. I...I have tell her myself. But I will be going alone, uncle. I must ask you to keep this a secret, because I will be vulnerable to attack. Especially here," he said, unrolling a map and pointing.

"I'm going to spend the first night here. It's a ravine in between two hills, and hopefully no one will find me there."

He looked his uncle in the eye. "Only a handful of people know about this, because I am sure my councilmen will try and dissuade me. I trust I can count on you not to tell anyone?"

Agravaine smiled his unctuous smile. "Of course, my Lord. When will you be leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Arthur replied. He handed Agravaine the map. "Please put this in the vaults."

Agravaine bowed and left.

Hours later, Arthur slipped quietly into Gaius's chambers.

"Did he buy it?" Merlin asked immediately.

Arthur turned to him.

"I think he did. Now, we wait."

0o0

The horse's hooves thundered against the ground, but out in the middle of the forest there was no one to hear it. The rider urged the horse forward, anticipation making him in a hurry.

They stopped outside a small hovel. The dark-haired rider slipped off and quietly walked to the door.

"Morgana," he whispered, knocking.

The door opened to let him in.

"Well, Agravaine?"

Morgana's cool voice floated through the air. Her gaze latched onto her fellow traitor, who was practically trembling with excitement.

"My Lady," he murmured, "I bring good news."

Morgana leaned forward. "Well? What is it?"

Agravaine smiled. "Merlin is dead, and I know of a way to kill Arthur."

Morgana stared at him for a moment. Then, a cruel smile grew slowly across her face.

"Merlin is dead?" she repeated.

Agravaine nodded.

Morgana's twisted smile widened. "Well, well, Agravaine. Turns out you do have it in you after all. Good work."

There was a pause, in which Agravaine savored the fact that Morgana had actually praised him, and Morgana the fact that the pest was dead.

"You said you knew how to kill Arthur?"

"Ah, yes, my Lady. Arthur wishes to return Merlin's body to Ealdor, but he is going by himself and keeping it a secret because he thinks his council will not approve. No doubt he will tell them he has gone hunting."

Agravaine paused to pull out the map Arthur had given him.

"He is going to stay his first night in this valley. He thinks it will hide him from bandits and such, but it will make him far easier to take, especially since he will be alone."

Morgana examined the map.

"Contact the mercenaries."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: The only thing remotely related to Merlin that I own is this storyline. And I guess the storylines for the other fanfics I wrote. But that's it!**

**Okay guys, after careful consideration, including of some reviews I got, I have planned out the rest of this story. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed - I know I've said it already but I still appreciate it lots! [insert a request from moi to vote on my poll]  
**

The next morning, Merlin had barely woken up before a foul-smelling cloth smothered his face.

"Sorry, Merlin," Gaius whispered, before whipping the rag out of sight.

"Enter!"

Agravaine pushed the door to Gaius's chambers open.

"Good morning, Gaius! I had a bit of a headache this morning, and I was wondering if you could give me anything."

His eyes landed on Merlin, still laid out on the cot.

"Oh, I heard about Merlin. I am sorry, Gaius," he said with what he clearly thought was a comforting tone.

Gaius wasn't fooled. He knew Agravaine wanted to see for himself that Merlin was dead. Agravaine's gaze became more intense, and Gaius was sure he was looking for any signs of life. He was thankful he'd drugged Merlin in time.

"Here's a potion for your head," Gaius said.

Agravaine nodded. "Thank you, Gaius."

Gaius watched the noble go, downing his medicine as he did so, and got some comfort in minor revenge. If Agravaine's headache was fake, which he suspected, the king's uncle would be experiencing some unpleasant symptoms.

Unfortunately, to carry out their plan, everyone else had to be told that Merlin was dead as well, so that Agravaine wouldn't become suspicious, which meant that Gaius kept getting visitors offering their condolences. By the time he was able to wake Merlin up, the servant was so drowsy he nearly passed out eating his lunch (he'd been knocked out during breakfast).

Gwaine had also come around as well. He'd heard about Merlin somehow, and had burst in a panic into Gaius's chambers, nearly giving the man a heart attack, because Merlin had just woken up from his most recent drugging. They'd explained the situation and he had left looking considerably calmer.

0o0

Arthur was ready to get this mission over with. He'd woken up to George standing patiently over him. Arthur privately thought that if Merlin ever were to really die, sending George in his place would not be the best way to cheer him up. George's idea of conversation was "Lovely day for a hunt, isn't it, sire?" The only relief he got was that George did not mention Merlin's "death."

0o0

Merlin's head was killing him. He still had a headache from Agravaine's attack, and then Gaius had gone and drugged him who knew how many times so that he would appear dead to anyone who entered. And then, Gwaine had burst in, banging the door open as he entered. The noise had not helped in the slightest.

When Gaius felt it was safe to wake him, he'd done so, and Merlin had awoken feeling slightly confused. It had gone from early in the morning to nearly midday to early afternoon.

Merlin suddenly sat bolt upright on his cot. He waited for his head to stop spinning before he spoke.

"Wait - how late is it, Gaius? Hasn't Arthur left already?"

"Yes, he left a few hours ago."

"What!?"

Merlin tried to get off the cot, but once again, Gaius stopped him.

"Merlin, surely you didn't think Arthur would take you in this state?"

Merlin groaned in frustration. "It was my idea! Besides, what if they need help?"

"Merlin, you have a concussion and two cracked ribs!" Gaius cried in exasperation. "What do you expect to do?!"

"I think my healing spell healed one of my ribs, and you can give me something for the concussion."

"Oh, can I now?"

Gaius and Merlin had a brief staredown.

"I have to disappear, anyway, in case Agravaine comes back around. He thinks my 'body' is with Arthur," Merlin insisted.

Gaius merely handed him a bottle.

"For your concussion," he said quietly. "It won't make it go away, but it will clear your head some."

Merlin gave him a grin and downed it in one, ignoring the disorienting sensation it caused.

"Thank you Gaius."

He was about to leave when he heard Gaius speak up.

"And Merlin? Do be careful."

0o0

Gwaine shifted uncomfortably, and leaves crackled underneath him.

"Shhh!" Arthur hissed.

Gwaine rolled his eyes at Percival. "They probably won't even be here for hours."

"Still, would be kind of embarrassing if they found us trying to sneak up on them," Elyan muttered.

Arthur turned to glare at them. "Will you lot be quiet? We only have one chance at this!"

The knights quieted. Arthur turned back to watching from his position, eyes trained on the ravine below, waiting for signs of Morgana's attack.

Then an unexpected voice spoke up loudly, nearly causing Arthur to fall out from behind his cover of underbrush.

"What did I miss?"

0o0

Merlin had had no trouble getting out of Camelot undetected. He'd had much practice with his other adventures. He'd memorized how to get to the ravine specified on the map, and he walked for hours in silence, using a strengthening spell whenever his bandaged ribs or his head got too sore.

He was nearing the ravine when he realized Arthur and the knights were sure to be hidden, and he had no way of finding then. Cautiously, in case the mercenaries were around, he peered around the dense woods, looking for a sign of Arthur or the knights, when he heard something.

"They probably won't even be here for hours."

"Still, would be kind of embarrassing if they found us trying to sneak up on them."

Then the voice of one certain prat of a king spoke over them in a fierce whisper.

"Will you lot be quiet? We only have one chance at this!"

Merlin smiled. He knew those voices. Coming up behind the knights, he said "What did I miss?"

Arthur jumped, and Merlin smirked internally.

"Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed. "Come to join the party?"

"You idiot!" Arthur hissed. "Do you want us to be found? And what are doing here, anyway? You have a concussion and two cracked ribs!"

"You sound like Gaius," Merlin grumbled, while Percival spoke up.

"A concussion and cracked ribs? Maybe you should stay out of this, Merlin. There will be fighting."

Merlin scowled at them.

"Well, I'm here, and I'm not going back 'cause I might get caught by Agravaine, so you'll just have to deal with it."

The knights still looked slightly worried for their smaller friend, but couldn't help be slightly impressed, once again, by his loyalty.

Arthur glared at his servant. Merlin tensed, ready for Arthur to insist that he go back to Camelot.

"You had better not get us all caught, Merlin."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: No, the awesomeness that is Merlin is not mine. **

**For all you people who wanted Agravaine to get what's coming to him, that will be soon(and a little bit at the end of this chapter). Also, Morgana gets injured in this chapter. Do you think she should live?  
**

Morgana smiled, surveying the camp full of hired thugs. In less than an hour, they would move in on Arthur, who thought he was safe. Her pulse quickened, and she felt like a hunter stalking her prey. She hated the waiting, but knew it was necessary.

"Arthur will be dead by morning," Agravaine said from his place beside her, and his tone expressed a similar feeling of triumph.

She merely smirked, something she had perfected during her year as a traitor inside Camelot. "Yes." If all went well, she would get the pleasure of killing her _dear_ brother herself. Her previous attempts at killing him had been good plans(well, most of them), and probably have succeeded if it weren't for Merlin. But all those times she spent sitting in her chambers in Camelot, or in her hut in the woods, a part of her had wished she could have done the deed herself. But this time, she would join her small army, which she had hired as a mere precaution, and face Arthur one last time before she killed him.

0o0

If the knights weren't well-trained for missions, they would not have been able to keep still as long as they did. However, they managed it somehow. Arthur suspected that they, like him, felt it was worth it to get back at the people who had harmed Merlin.

The sky was beginning to darken when the king got a nudge from Leon. The knight pointed silently to a flash of movement he had spotted on the opposite slope. Looking closely, Arthur too saw the small band of mercenaries weaving through the trees, heading for the fake campsite they had set up.

Then he spotted Morgana. He followed her with his eyes as the knights crept forward silently, closing in on the mercenaries. He would have to get to her as soon as the fighting began, and at least knock her out, or her magic would likely cost them the fight.

"I'm going for Morgana," Arthur whispered, "You lot go for the rest."

0o0

The mercenaries stepped cautiously into the clearing, looking around. Someone had clearly been here recently, but they couldn't see anyone.

Morgana looked around as well, tension and excitement building in her. But after a few moments, she started to feel that something was wrong. The campfire looked several hours old, the rolls of blankets unused, and there was no food.

She was on the verge of calling out warning, but a battle cry suddenly rent the air. She spun around to see red capes flying towards the clearing, where all her fighters were now trapped.

She screamed in rage, and a few of them flew backwards. She could hear the ringing of swords clashing all around her. Practically growling in frustration, she swept the scene quickly, looking for Arthur. When she couldn't find him, she turned around, looking for him elsewhere. Instead, she saw the hilt of his sword growing bigger until it connected with her head, and she crumpled to the ground.

Arthur watched his half-sister fall, relieved that their enemy no longer had her as an advantage. He hadn't even begun to decide if he could just kill her now when one of the mercenaries ran at him, yelling, and he was distracted. Gwaine and Leon, who had been knocked to the ground by her moments before, were back up and were fighting the witch's thugs. Being trained knights of Camelot, it didn't take much to take them down.

When Percival had run through the last mercenary with his sword, the knights gathered around Morgana's unconscious form.

"Tie her up," Arthur ordered.

Morgana's hands were bound and she was tied firmly to a tree. Percival and Leon stood watch over her, while the others had their wounds tended by Merlin.

Arthur had ordered Merlin to hang back during the fight, but luckily he was still able to watch from a slight distance, causing a few mercenaries to trip and a few swords to slip out of hands without too much risk of being seen. He'd then been able to help the knights who had been injured. It was one of the occasions when he was particularly glad Gaius had bothered to teach him medical care.

Morgana woke up twenty minutes after Merlin had finished treating the last of the knights. And she was not happy.

With a yell, her eyes, glowing gold, flew open, and Percival and Leon were knocked to the ground.  
The rest of the knights were there at once, but with a whispered spell, Morgana had already freed herself.

Arthur cursed silently. He'd hoped she would stay unconscious until they reached Camelot, where she would be more easily contained. But she was most definitely awake now, glaring daggers at all of them.

"Morgana, stop this!" Arthur implored. "It's over!"

"No," snarled. "The throne will be mine, Arthur Pendragon."

She raised hand and began to utter a curse. The knights raised their swords, but a simple flick from Morgana and they went flying.

The knights backed up, not taking their eyes of the sorceress, but not knowing what to do. Her cruel smile grew, and the knights steeled themselves to do something desperate, when Morgana gave a small gasp.

All eyes turned to the tip of Excalibur, which was sticking out of Morgana's front.

She heard a voice, so quiet that only she could hear it, speak in her ear.

"This is my fault, and I am so sorry."

Then she fell, and revealing Merlin standing behind her, still clutching Arthur's sword.

Before her eyes closed, they fixed on a point above them, and she let out a furious yell that echoed around the clearing.

"AGRAVAINE!"

Merlin, sensing what was about to happen before it did, called out to the knights.

"DUCK!"

They all did as he said, reacting instinctively. Arthur thought he felt something whoosh over his head, ruffling his hair, barely missing him. But he didn't dare look up to see what it was.

0o0

Agravaine had been waiting at the top of the slope, planning to watch Morgana's victory, as he could see the part where the trees stopped, creating the little clearing. Instead, he'd watched with growing dread as the knights of Camelot first defeated the mercenaries, and then tied up Morgana.

He'd frozen in his panic. Morgana had been coming less and less forgiving toward him with each failure, and she was certainly going to be angry about this. Especially when Merlin turned up out of nowhere. He wasn't even sure how that was possible.

He couldn't go down there and defend Morgana when she woke up, that would give him away. Although he had pledged himself to her, his desire to live outweighed the compelling urge to help her that she would surely expect from him.

He stood there, debating with himself, when he saw Merlin run her through with a sword.

Heart pounding, feeling as though he was trapped in a nightmare, he watched her collapse. From his position higher up on the hill, he was fairly far away, but he was close enough to see her eyes scanning the treeline.

They found his, and became alight with fury.

"AGRAVAINE!"

He shivered at her shout, at the clear need for revenge in it.

And she lost control of her magic to her hate. Black magic exploded from her. It could see the air ripple with it.

He was vaguely aware of the knights hitting the ground. He was frozen, watching the wave of power racing towards him. It was coming closer and closer, and still his fear held him still...

The feeling of being knocked backward, a blinding pain, and then unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:Merlin is mine as much as the country of Canada is. (Just to clarify, that is NOT AT ALL)**

**Sorry for the delay! I was kinda busy today. **

**Thanks to Kermit's Rainbow Connection for pointing out a plot hole. I'm working on fixing it. Also, I fully admit that I am keeping Morgana alive just a little longer so that she can bitch out Agravaine. **

Arthur waited until the shock wave-like phenomenon had passed over him and his knights. Then he raised his head, looking to see if anyone had gotten hurt. All the knights appeared to be fine. His eyes landed on his servant, who was still clutching the stained sword.

"Merlin!"

Merlin appeared to have fallen backward slightly, and he was grimacing and rubbing his head. Arthur remembered his head injury.

"Don't tell me you've hurt yourself again?"

Merlin, who had been lost in his own thoughts and the aching in his head that had just been made worse by his sensitivity to magic, was dragged back to their current situation by Arthur's voice. He rolled his eyes, and realized he was still holding Excalibur.

"Is that what I think it is?"

He realized Arthur was looking the bloodied sword in his hand.

"Um..."

The knights who knew of Excalibur from the "Cup of Life incident" were now staring at the sword as well.

"Where did you get that?" Arthur had looked for that sword after defeating Morgana's immortal army, but it had disappeared.

"Um..."

The truth was, after he had tended to all the injuries, he had gone off looking for extra herbs to see if there was anything useful for the journey home. After a while, he'd come across Excalibur held against a large, majestic oak with vines that were too conveniently placed around the sword to be natural. Someone had clearly put it there, and that someone clearly had magical abilities, because they had removed it from the stone. Looking closer, he saw a small druid symbol carved at the base of the tree.

Not exactly sure who had moved it but not wanting it to fall into the wrong hands, he'd removed it from its spot. He'd returned to the camp, hoping he could stow it away in his bag before someone would notice, only to find Morgana very much awake and about to unleash her anger onto his friends. So, he'd done the first thing that came to mind. He used the sword.

But somehow he didn't think it was best to tell Arthur he'd put the sword in a rock and it had just been removed by a druid.

"I found it in the armory a few days ago," he invented. "It had gotten buried under some stuff. I guess it had been sitting there this whole time. I was going to give it to you but, well, I was distracted by...stuff."

Arthur rolled his eyes. Trust Merlin to call nearly getting murdered "stuff".

His gaze lowered, resting on Morgana's limp form.

"Is she dead?"

Elyan stooped down to check.

"She's still alive, but barely." He looked up to Arthur. "She won't last much longer."

Arthur nodded, running a hand through his hair. It felt strange - he had been living under the constant threat of Morgana's revenge for a year, and now it would soon be gone.

He turned to Percival and Leon. "Go search the forests, just to make sure there's no more mercenaries around."

The knights did as he asked. Before long, they returned, bringing with them an unconscious Agravaine, who they promptly tied up a ways away from Morgana. Gwaine offered to keep watch. He really only wanted to be there when the traitor woke up. No one messed with Merlin and got away with it.

0o0

Agravaine blinked himself into consciousness, and then wished that he hadn't. Whatever magic Morgana had used hadn't left his system since it crashed into him in her fit of rage. It made his head turn, he felt hungover but ten times worse. Every light was blinding, every sound deafening. When he was able to focus, he saw the faces of Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Elyan hovering over him.

"Hello, uncle," the king said pleasantly. "We found you a little ways up the slope. You will return to Camelot, where you will await execution for treason and attempted murder."

"But until then, we'll make sure you're comfortable," Gwaine said.

Agravaine's throat felt dry. "Treason? There must be some mistake-"

"Oh, no we're quite certain," Arthur said. "Percival, bring the man some food, will you?"

Behind the knights, the noble saw Merlin sitting by a campfire. He waved to Agravaine, who was starting to get a sense of foreboding. The knights were acting too pleasant. Agravaine had expected them to be furious. After all, they were practically Merlin's older brothers.

Percival handed him a bowl of soup. Agravaine gave him a bewildered look. His hands were tied behind his back!

"Oh!" Percival made an exaggerated face of realization. "You'll need help, won't you- oops!"

The bowl had "accidentally" slipped from Percival's hands. Agravaine flushed as his front was splattered with stew.

"Sorry about that," Percival said in an unconvincing tone. "Here, let me try this again!"

Feeling humiliated but scared to refuse, Agravaine opened his mouth so Percival could feed him like a child.

The taste was foul. But after a moment, he didn't care so much about the taste so much as the burning sensation filling his mouth. He gagged, which did nothing to improve his situation.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I put to much spice in that?" Merlin said in a falsely innocent tone.

He didn't dare say anything. His mouth was so uncomfortable, he wished he had water.

Almost as though reading his mind, Elyan chose this moment to pull a water skin out of his back and tip a big sip.

"Thirsty, anyone?"

The knights passed the water around, not once glancing at their prisoner. When they were done, they poured what was left over them to cool off. Agravaine's mouth felt drier just looking at the droplets showering down the knights and soaking into the dirt.

"Oh, looks like we'll need more water," Arthur said. "Gwaine, why don't you go get some more? And bring the prisoner, why don't you? He won't have many more chances to stretch his legs!"

Gwaine untied Agravaine from the tree, keeping his hands bound, and attached a rope. Agravaine's humiliation grew. He was not a dog to be kept on a leash!

But he soon discovered the true reason Arthur had made that suggestion. As Gwaine pulled him along, Agravaine constantly tripped over roots and branches, and without his hands to catch himself, the falls were painful and unpleasant.

"Get up," Gwaine would tell him sharply whenever this happened.

The stream was worse, the mud made him more prone to slip. By the time they returned to the camp, he was bruised and battered.

They tied him to the tree once more, in the same spot where he was facing Morgana. Just as Gwaine walked away, Morgana's eyes fluttered open.

She was dying, bound, and too weak to free herself. But she was still able to give Agravaine a glare that made him wish he was still being tormented by the knights.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Merlin is not mine, probably never will. **

**READ THIS: Okay. Can I just say, before you all yell at me, I know how painfully short this chapter is. I try to make all my chapters at least 1,000 words, and this one clearly fell short. So, I will say it now, I AM SORRY. **

**Also, to Kermit's Rainbow Connection, don't feel bad! I appreciate a little critical review now and then. Glad for your honesty! **

**To freshly caught Cornish pixies, yes, it was in the lake of Avalon for a while, but then Merlin got it out and stuck it in a rock in the forest :)**

**CLOSING MY POLL SOON!**

Morgana felt horrible. Her magic was unable to cure her this time. She was dying, Arthur was alive, and so was Merlin.

Agravaine had told her Merlin was dead. And now Merlin would be the death of her.

So when she focused after waking up to a burning pain around her wound, the sight of her ally did not improve her mood in the slightest.

She gave him her best glare, momentarily forgetting the ache. She was pleased to see him swallow nervously.

"I knew you were incompetent," Morgana said in a low, deadly voice, "but I didn't think even you could mess up this badly."

"My Lady, I am sorry, I do not know how -"

"Save it for your execution," she hissed back. She jerked her head towards the knights. "I see they are not as dumb as you are and have finally caught on- though them long enough," she added, with a sneer at them. The knights did there best to ignore her. They appeared to be eating around the fire, but all of them had been listening, privately slightly enjoying Morgana telling Agravaine off like a misbehaving child.

"My Lady, I heard that Merlin was dead, I even went to check myself-"

"Save your excuses. They're no use to me now."

Agravaine bowed his head in shame. The knights repressed grins.

They stayed the night about halfway back to Camelot. They probably could have gotten father, but Morgana was fading quickly and, not wanting to be cruel despite what she had done, Arthur had ordered them to stop and set up camp. The knights who weren't on watch fell asleep quickly. Merlin waited for them to be asleep before he slipped past Leon, telling him he had to pee.

When he'd gone a safe distance from the camp, he found an area that had few trees and called Kilgarrah. Within minutes, the Great Dragon landed in front of him.

"You called, young warlock?" Kilgarrah rumbled.

"Yes." Merlin stared up at the dragon. "I conveniently found Excalibur in the forest today. You wouldn't happened to know how that happened, would you?"

The dragon gave a wry smile. "I might have an idea." He lowered his head to view Merlin better.

"I could feel that something important was to happen. I have seen and heard every Druid prophecy, Merlin. I conferred with a Druid tribe, and they agreed the time was right to remove the sword from the stone. Iseldir left it for you to find. I trust it was useful?"

Merlin nodded. "Morgana is fatally injured. If she makes it to Camelot, she will be executed."

"I thought so." The dragon looked smug. "The death of the witch brings Arthur a large step closer to the rise of Albion. That is why it felt so urgent to get you the sword." The dragon surveyed Merlin, thinking. "Where is the sword now?"

"Back at the camp."

Kilgarrah nodded. "I will notify Iseldir. He will have to take the sword back. We cannot be sure he is ready to wield it, and I do not want to risk him possessing it too early. He will put the sword back where you left it and place an enchantment on it that will allow Arthur and only Arthur to remove it when he is ready."

Merlin nodded. "Thank you, Kilgarrah."

The dragon flew off, and Merlin traipsed towards the camp, insisting, upon arriving, that he had gotten lost to a skeptical Leon.

0o0

The next morning, while they were packing up and preparing to return to Camelot, Arthur asked "Where's the sword?'

"Um..." Merlin picked up Arthur's first sword. "Here."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Not that one. The one you found."

"Oh." Merlin looked around.

"Don't tell me you've lost it?" Arthur said in exasperation.

Merlin grinned sheepishly. "I left it by that tree. I don't know where it went."

Arthur glanced over the area Merlin was pointing to. "Great," he huffed, and walked off.

Merlin smiled. Thankfully, Arthur hadn't looked close enough to see the small Druid symbol carved into the wood.

**Okay, if you're wondering why I didn't just let Arthur keep Excalibur, I didn't want to steal his "pulling the sword from the stone" moment. I also had Iseldir do the spell because I was a little disappointed at how they did it in the show -I felt like Arthur thought it was a special accomplishment, and it was sad that it was actually all Merlin. Usually I don't mind, but for some reason I did in that scene. **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Merlin is mine...in a parallel universe somewhere...but not in this one. **

**I know, I know, another short chapter :P it looked longer when I was writing it.**

**UPDATE: Oh my gosh guys. I screwed up big time. I accidentally had it so that Gwen was here and married to Arthur in this chapter. I've fixed it now. I'm sorry about that slip up, I was working on a different fic before that where they were married. I'm sorry!  
**

Morgana really did feel like crap.

She could feel her life force draining out of her, even as she was doing nothing but laying against the tree where they had tied her. She had tried to free herself, but her magic seemed to have abandoned her. She couldn't even summon enough energy to try to free herself manually.

She had been aware of Agravaine sending her covert looks, worried about her but probably more worried for himself. He probably thought she would pull her magic out at the perfect moment, freeing them both. Well, he would be disappointed. Not that she felt bad about that part.

She had never hated Merlin more. He had the nerve to apologize as he stuck a sword in her! She could see him trying to ruin her plans, as he always did, but she had never imagined he would actually have the guts to kill her. That was supposed to be Emrys's job.

Morgana suddenly sat up straight, eyes wide, and doing her best to ignore both the wave of pain it brought on her and the way the knights eyed her suspiciously. Emrys was her doom, that's what the Cailleach had told her. So that must mean...

Suddenly, nausea hit her like a slap in the face. Her movement had jostled her wound, and she could feel it bleeding again under the sloppy bandaging Leon had provided. Her sight went fuzzy, and she knew her end was coming. She flopped back down, miserable, and thinking of Morgause, and how she had wanted so badly for Morgana to claim the throne. _I am sorry, sister, I have failed..._

She blinked, and realized Arthur had noticed her predicament and was now kneeling over her. Fingers felt her wrist, checking for a pulse. He knew she was almost gone.

The least she could do was leave him with something that would torment him long after she was gone. She gave him a sickly smile.

"I know something you don't know."

Her voice was singsong and mocking, and it was the last sound Morgana Pendragon made before her life slipped away, silencing her forever.

Arthur stared down at the shell of his sister, conflicting emotions holding him still for a moment. Her last words floated around his head.

_"I know something you don't know."_

He snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked around. The knights were watching him for a sign about their captive.

Arthur looked at Agravaine, whose gaze was locked on the unmoving body of his mistress.

"Looks like you will be facing the executioner's block by yourself, uncle."

0o0

Arthur left for his chambers as soon as he arrived in Camelot. He didn't want to spend any longer with Morgana's blank eyes staring at him. Merlin met up with him in their chambers minutes later.

"What are you going to do with the body?" he asked hesitantly.

Arthur sighed. He almost felt there should be two graves: one for the Morgana he'd grown up with, who had died the minute Morgana had cast her first dark spell, and one less honorary for the person she'd been when she died.

"Have the knights bury her," he told his servant. "Away from the noble's graves."

0o0

Despite Agravaine's wishing that it would stay at bay forever, dawn came at the same time it always did. And it arrived with two palace guards leading him to the courtyard, where the stage was set for his execution. He couldn't tear his eyes from the noose.

How he wished Morgana had lived, he thought, as Arthur droned on, the words "traitor" and "working with the enemy" drifting through to him.

But there was no one to save him. It was his last thought as he felt the rope around his neck.

**I know, took me kind of a while to kill Morgana and Agravaine. But I did it, finally :) This story is almost done :O I had no idea it would turn out like this when I first started writing. Thanks everybody for convincing me to keep writing this! You guys have been awesome!  
**

**I will be closing my poll soon! Vote on which Merlin story I should write...please?**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Merlin is not mine. Get it? Got it? Good. **

**So this is the LAST CHAPTER! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed, everyone who encouraged me to keep going. **

**The last few chapters haven't been my favorite, but I actually like this chapter. I had to edit the last one, which made it even shorter :P **

**I will be closing my poll soon, but it looks like the magic reveal is ahead. So be looking out for that, I will be starting it soon **

Arthur sat at his desk, his head in his hands. He was supposed to be filling out paperwork, but every time he started to write, he heard Morgana's voice again.

_"I know something you don't know!"_

He had tried. He really had. But he just could not ignore those words. He had stared down into her eyes as she spoke them, and he was certain she had not been lying.

Could she have been talking about Merlin? After all, she didn't know that he knew his servant had been sneaking around and foiling her plans. Maybe she just meant she knew how many times he had almost died, and Arthur didn't?

The door opened and the man he had just been thinking about walked in.

"Hello, sire," Merlin said brightly. He was clearly in a good mood. It was slightly morbid, but everyone had been feeling a bit better after the deaths of the kingdom's biggest threat and her traitor.

"Merlin. I see you've left my laundry 'till the last minute...again."

The servant looked down in fake surprise at the basket in his arms. "What do you mean, sire? I finished washing all of these!"

Arthur smirked as Merlin went about putting his clothes away. He knew Merlin well enough to see that the servant was hoping that with their banter and the excitement of the last few days, Arthur would forget what lead to catching Agravaine and Morgana in the first place.

"Merlin," he called.

"Hmm?"

"Come over here a moment."

The servant stuck his head out from behind the wardrobe door, looking wary.

"I..have to finish putting your clothes away,or you'll yell at me again."

The king rolled his eyes. "Merlin, come here," he repeated, his tone making it clear not to argue.  
Slowly, Merlin walked over to Arthur's desk.

"Sit."

Feeling a slight sense of deja vu, Merlin sat at the other side of the table.

"Now," Arthur began, "you are going to tell me everything. Every time you got hurt or stopped Morgana, I want to know. No point in protesting," he added as Merlin opened his mouth to do just that.

Merlin swallowed. How would he explain the times he'd escaped by magic? He sighed. He would have to alter those parts, or just leave them out.

Arthur was looking at him expectantly. Merlin really didn't want to talk. He realized how ironic it was, how when he'd first arrived in Camelot he'd wanted to let everyone know how he'd saved their necks, and now he didn't want to tell Arthur any of it.

But Arthur was making it clear that he wanted answers. Merlin sighed, and began to talk. He tried to water it down some, but he could tell Arthur wasn't fooled. He talked about skeleton armies, enchanted bracelets, the fomorroh(making it sound like Gaius had found a way to kill it), and mandrake roots. He dredged up all the memories thathad been shoved aside to make room for the new, painful ones that kept replacing them.

When he told Arthur about getting stung by the serkets, Arthur didn't believe him. In response, Merlin turned around and pulled his shirt up, revealing the scar that was still there, snickering at Arthur's dumbfounded expression. "You should see your face."

"How can you laugh at that?" the king said hoarsely.

"What, your face? I find it quite easy, sire."

Arthur shot him a withering glare. "You. Getting hurt, all the time."

Merlin shrugged. "Honestly, I'm used to it now. No one ever asks questions when I'm gone, and when they do, Gaius tells them I'm in the tavern." He scowled at that last part.

Arthur swallowed. "Merlin, I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention. It's my fault you got hurt-"

"No, it was Morgana's," Merlin said firmly. "And she's dead now."

Their eyes met, and they were both thinking the same thing. Morgana would not be the last to attack Camelot. Eventually, someone else would come and take her place."

"Merlin, the next time something happens, you are to let me know. Is that clear?"

"Is that an order, sire?"

Arthur didn't even blink. "Yes."

Merlin sighed. "Fine, fine. If it makes you feel better."

"Thank you," Arthur said, feeling somewhat relieved.

Merlin stood up. "I have a pile of your armor waiting, sire, and I just can't wait to get started."  
He reached the door, paused, and then turned.

"You know, sire, you were right, you should pay more attention," he said seriously, but while fighting a smile.

Confused, Arthur looked around. He finally realized Merlin had eaten half his lunch while they had been talking.

Out in the hall, Merlin saw a maid passing him. He waved to her.

"'Three, two, one..."

"MERLIN!"

Arthur's shout echoed into the hallway. Merlin grinned at the maid and she grinned back.

"Impressive," she laughed.

0o0

Hours later, Merlin stood triumphantly, the armor he had just finished polishing at his feet. He picked it up and started hauling it down to the armory.

He walked in and froze. The knights were all standing in front of him, their arms crossed.

"Er," Merlin started. Something was going on here. "Can I help you?"

"No, we're here to help you," Gwaine said.

"Here, let me get that for you," Percival added, taking the armor from Merlin.

"Um." Merlin stared at them. "Thanks?"

The knights looked at each other. "We've been hearing some... things about you," Elyan told the servant.

Merlin groaned. Of course.

"Let me guess - from Arthur?" he said sarcastically.

"That's right," Leon said. "And we think you've deserved a break."

Merlin snorted. "Try telling that to Arthur."

"We have," Gwaine said, putting an arm around his friend and steering him out of the armory.

"Where are we going?" Merlin asked apprehensively.

"Isn't it obvious?" the drunk grinned.

"If you mean the tavern-"

"Of course I mean the tavern! You deserve a day off, mate."

And, ignoring Merlin's protests, the knights led their friend away from his chores, determined to give him at least something in return for what he had done.


End file.
